A Feast for the Eyes
Two beautiful cookbooks prove that we really do eat with our eyes.
The London Plane Flower & Cook Book
The London Plane was a gorgeous café, bakery and flower shop that sat on the corner of Occidental Square in Pioneer Square like a beacon of chic between 2013 and 
2022. Named for the species of tree planted around the square, the London Plane was where you went to surround yourself with beautifully thoughtful food, gifts, wine and a well-designed bouquet.
Owned and curated by the exceptionally good eye of Katherine Alberg Anderson, this shop was the heart of Pioneer Square for those 10 years, the kind of place where merely stepping through the threshold made you feel happier, cooler and a part of something special.
Her newly released cookbook perfectly captures the essence of the spot. Katherine—with contributions from the many talented staff and collaborators she worked with—leads us month by month through the year with odes to in-season flora and many of the café’s best recipes (hello, Whiskey Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies).
Katherine comes by her love of the natural world honestly—she grew up tending her family’s farmland between Carnation and Duvall. In 2009 her father, the late Tom Alberg, donated the land to establish the nonprofit Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center. The London Plane bought produce and flowers from Oxbow and supported many other small farmers and producers during its run. thelondonplanecookbook.com
The Art of Gluten-Free Bread
Leave it to professional chef, food stylist, cookbook author and photographer Aran Goyoaga to put the good, the gorgeous and the gimme-some-of-that into gluten-free 
baking. Since launching her much-lauded blog, “Cannelle et Vanille” in 2008, this Basque-country expat turned Seattleite has been wowing the foodie world with her skillfully styled and beautifully photographed yummy gluten-free delights.
Her 2019 cookbook, “Cannelle et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood,” was an instant hit, garnering nods from The New York Times, Bon Appetit and the James Beard Foundation. Aran’s second book, “Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple,” received similarly high praise, so it’s no surprise that her newest release, “The Art of Gluten-Free Bread,” released in September 2025, is already a bestseller on Amazon.
“The Art of Gluten-Free Bread” is a primer on alternative flours and how to use them—if you ever wondered what buckwheat flour is (a milled fruit seed) or what you can use to replace sorghum flour if you’re out (millet), this is the book for you. It has a recipe for any loaf, bun or pastry your carb-craving soul desires. The buzz online is that these recipes are so delicious, you won’t even miss the gluten. arangoyoaga.com